Retaining clip for personal articles

ABSTRACT

A retaining clip for holding a personal article such as a condom has a planar central member with a first end and a second end extending transversely. From the first end, a retaining arm extends outward and proximate to the central member for holding a personal article. To attach the clip, an attaching arm extends outward from the second end and is proximate to the central member for affixing the retaining clip to an article of clothing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a clip for retaining one or morepersonal articles. More particularly, the invention relates to a clipfor retaining articles such as condoms and concealing the articlesbeneath clothing.

2. Description of Related Art

With the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases, people who aresexually active and wish to have the protection that condoms provide arefrequently carrying condoms on or near their person. However, it isoften inconvenient for a person to have to carry a condom on theirperson in social situations. One way to carry a condom is to keep apackage in one's pocket. This though may lead to damage to the condomand is inconvenient for a person to search through his pocket at a timejust prior to engaging in physical contact with another person.Alternatively, a man may wish to carry a condom in his wallet whichoften leads to damage to the condom. This may result in a person notcarrying a condom who then engages in unprotected sexual contact.

To inconspicuously carry a packaged condom, other prior art have usecases designed to appear as jewelry. The disadvantage to this is that atthe moment when a person wishes to use the packaged condom, she mustremove the condom from the faux jewelry. This can be difficult and maylead to frustration.

Therefore, a condom carrying device is needed that can carry a condomand keep it concealed but yet make the condom readily available for use.Also, the device should be able to be attached to a person's clothing sothat the device will not be used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A retaining clip for holding a personal article in accordance with thepresent invention comprises a planar central member having a first endand a second end extending transversely. A retaining arm originates fromabout the first end of the central member for holding a personalarticle. Also, an attaching arm originating from about the second end ofthe central member is provided for affixing the retaining clip to anarticle of clothing.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the attaching arm andretaining arm have ends that are bent upward away from the centralmember. Thereby, a user of the clip can easily place a package such as apackaged condom between the retaining arm and the central member. Also,a user can attached the clip to an article of clothing by positioningthe clothing such that it held between the attaching arm and the centralmember.

In a further embodiment, the retaining arm is provided with a dimple.The dimple is formed such that it extends outward from a central portionin the retaining arm toward the central member. This allows the clip toretain a package such as a packaged condom.

With the clip made in accordance with the present invention, a personwho wishes to carry a packaged condom discreetly can do so. The clip canbe retained beneath the person's clothing while retaining the packagedcondom. Additionally, the condom is readily accessible to the personwhen he or she wishes to remove it from the clip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well asa preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, willbe best understood by reference to the following detailed description ofillustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front side perspective view of a retaining clip inaccordance with the present invention shown holding packaged condom;

FIG. 2 is side cross-sectional view of the retaining clip shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a back side perspective view of the retaining clip shown inFIG. 1 without any package being retained;

FIG. 4 is a front side perspective view of an alternative embodiment ofthe present invention shown with a surface member affixed to a packageretaining beam of a retaining clip; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the retaining clip shown in FIG. 1 beingutilized by a subject.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A retaining clip in accordance with a preferred embodiment of theinvention discreetly holds a selected article or package while locatedsubstantially beneath a person's article of clothing. Thereby, theretaining clip can be secured to the person's article of clothing toensure the unobtrusive retention of the selected article or package.

FIG. 1 shows a retaining clip 10 holding a package 40, which as depictedhere contains a condom 42. Clip central member 12 forms a centralsupport of clip 10 from which cantilevered arms depend. Preferably,central member 12 is a rectangular strip with a length greater than itswidth. The thickness of member 12 is minimal in comparison to its lengthand width. As to the composition of clip 10, it may be comprised ofmetal, plastic, other similar material, and combinations thereof.

Depending from central member 12, are attaching arm 20 and retaining arm30. These arms are cantilevered and are formed transversely at about thelongitudinal terminal ends of central member 12. Bend 14 connectsattaching arm 20 to central member 12 while bend 16 connects retainingarm 15 to central member 12. Further, bends 14 and 16 are initially bentin divergent directions relative to each other until bends 14 and 16pass a mid-point and begin to converge toward a central portion ofcentral member 12. Bends 14 and 16 are bent until a portion on each arm20 and 30 is in proximate contact with a non-terminal portion of centralmember 12. Hence, arms 20 and 30 are formed as opposing elastic andresilient members. Attaching arm 30 is primarily provided for affixingclip 10 to an article of clothing such as the waistline of a pair oftrousers, a belt, an undergarment, and others. Retaining arm 20 isprimarily provided for retaining packages such as package 40.

As further shown in FIG. 2, condom 42 is retained by retaining arm 20with the aid of dimple 34. Dimple 34 is shown formed within arm 30. Toform dimple 34, stamping could produce an indentation into a planarportion of clip 10. As shown, the position of dimple 34 is strategicallylocated on arm 30 so that a planar center portion 44 of condom 42 isdisposed between dimple 34 and central member 12 when clip 10 is beingused to retain a package 40. The surface of dimple 34 facing centralmember 12 is preferably formed to be relatively rounded to form a smoothcontact surface that would not substantially degrade the packingmaterial of a retained package 40. Additionally, dimple 34 will aid inretaining condom 42 to clip 10 because rolled edge 46 forms a ridgerelative to planar center portion 44. Thereby, rolled edge 46 acts as awedge to aid in preventing package 40 from being unintentionallyseparated from clip 10.

At a terminal longitudinal end of attaching arm 20, tab 22 is slightlyangled or bent upward and away from central member 12 along transverseedge 28 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. When no article is between attachingarm 20 and central member 12, edge 28 is proximate to or is in contactwith a portion of the surface of central member 12. Raised tab 22renders attaching and detaching clip 10 from an article of clothingeasier to perform because it provides a surface for a user to manipulatearm 20. For example, a user who wishes to wear clip 10 on the insideseam of his waistline of the trousers would need only to align tab 22over the outside portion his waistline. Once the opening formed betweencentral member 12 and tab 22 is positioned over the top of thewaistline, the user need only apply a minimal amount of pressure toforce clip 10 down to engage the trousers waistline between attachingarm 20 and central member 12.

Retaining arm 30 at its terminal end has a tab 32 that is angledsimilarly like tab 22 along transverse edge 38 as shown in FIGS. 1 and2. Because arm 30 has dimple 34, which is preferably formed along edge38, dimple 34 is proximate to or is in contact with a portion of thesurface of central member 12. Raised tab 32 extends upward from centralmember 12 rendering the insertion and removal of package 40 easier. Tab32 performs similarly to tab 22 when being manipulated to and from arm20. For example, a user who wishes to affix a package 40 between dimple34 of arm 30 would apply pressure to force arm 30 up and away fromcentral member 12. Once package 40 is in the proper position, the usermay release the lifting pressure from arm 30. Dimple 34 would thenengage and retain package 40 in a secured position between arm 30 andcentral member 12. To remove package 40, a user would apply sufficientpressure to tab 32 to cause arm 30 to move outward from central member12.

In FIG. 4, an optional planar surface 36 is affixed longitudinally tothe outer surface of arm 30 along a central portion. Planar surface 36serves to smooth the outer surface of arm 30. This embodiment is usefulfor a person wearing clip 10 such that the outer surface of arm 30 isdirected against a person's skin. With planar surface 36, a largeramount of surface area on arm 30 will contact the person's skinrendering clip 10 more comfortable to wear.

FIG. 5 shows an example of retaining clip 10 being worn by a person.Therein, the person has positioned clip 10 discreetly such that amajority of clip 10 is disposed beneath the person's clothing. Top edge58 of clip 10 at about bend 14 is positioned above the top edge oftrousers 50 for a secured attachment. While clip 10 can be easilyattached to other areas around waistline 52 of trousers 50, a convenientlocation is to locate clip 10 between front pocket 51 and back pocket53. As shown, clip 10 is positioned on trousers 50 so that a portion ofwaistline 52 is between attaching arm 20 and central member 12. Asection of belt 54 extends over the outer portion of attaching arm 20 sothat belt 54 substantially covers a significant portion of attaching arm20. Only a small area of the clip should be visible, if at all, ataround bend 14. To assure that none of clip 10 is visible to the public,shirt 60 may be allowed to extend down and flow over the top of belt 52.Package 40 is securely maintained in position between retention arm 30and central member 12. Should the person wish to remove package 40 asufficient pull, and optionally lifting raised tab 22, should cause theremoval

Clip 10 provides the advantage of being able to securely retain apersonal article such as condom 40 while secured to a person's articleof clothing. Thereby, a person can discreetly carry a condom whilehaving the condom readily available for use. This convenient clip 10 canbe worn while substantially hidden beneath a person's clothing. Whileclip 10 is shown in FIG. 5 attached to a person's waistline, clip 10 canbe worn on any article of clothing such as a pair of underwear or ashirt. With the use of clip 10, a person can carry a personal articlesuch as a condom so that the person can avoid embarrassment or anystigma associated with carrying a condom.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A retaining clip for holding a personal article, comprising: a planarcentral member having a first end and a second end extendingtransversely; a retaining arm originating from about the first end ofthe central member for holding a personal article; and an attaching armoriginating from about the second end of the central member for affixingthe retaining clip to an article of clothing.
 2. The retaining clip ofclaim 1 wherein the retaining arm and the attaching arm extend from thefirst and second ends such that the retaining arm and attaching armproject convergingly on opposite sides of the planar central member. 3.The retaining clip of claim 2 wherein each end of the retaining arm andthe attaching arm has a tab extending upward and away from the planarcentral member.
 4. The retaining clip of claim 1 wherein the retainingarm holds the personal article with spring compression and the attachingarm holds the retaining clip to an article of clothing with springcompression.
 5. The retaining clip of claim 1 wherein the central planarmember, the retaining arm, and the attaching arm comprise a contiguousunit.
 6. The retaining clip of claim 1 further comprising a dimpleformed in the retaining arm with a protrusion of the dimple facing thecentral planar member.
 7. The retaining clip of claim 6 wherein theprotrusion of the dimple is proximate to a surface of the central planarmember and aids in retaining the personal article.
 8. The retaining clipof claim 1 wherein the personal article is a packaged condom.
 9. Aretaining clip for holding a condom, comprising: a planar central memberhaving a first end and a second end extending transversely; a retainingarm originating from about the first end of the central member forholding a condom; and an attaching arm originating from about the secondend of the central member for affixing the retaining clip to an articleof clothing wherein the central planar member, the retaining arm, andthe attaching arm comprise a contiguous unit with the retaining arm andthe attaching arm extending from the first and second terminal ends,such that the retaining arm and attaching arm project convergingly onopposite sides of the planar central member.
 10. The retaining clip ofclaim 9 wherein each end of the retaining arm and the attaching arm hasa tab extending upward and away from the planar central member.
 11. Theretaining clip of claim 9 wherein the retaining arm holds the condomwith spring compression and the attaching arm holds the retaining clipto an article of clothing with spring compression.
 12. The retainingclip of claim 9 further comprising a dimple formed in the retaining armwith a protrusion of the dimple facing the central planar member whereinthe protrusion of the dimple is proximate to a surface of the centralplanar member and aids in retaining the personal article.
 13. A methodof using a retaining clip for a condom having a planar central member aplanar central member having a first end and a second end extendingtransversely; a retaining arm originating from about the first end ofthe central member for holding the condom; and an attaching armoriginating from about the second end of the central member for affixingthe retaining clip to an article of clothing wherein the central planarmember, the retaining arm, and the attaching arm comprise a contiguousunit with the retaining arm and the attaching arm extending from thefirst and second terminal ends, such that the retaining arm andattaching arm project convergingly on opposite sides of the planarcentral member, wherein the method comprises: inserting a packagedcondom between the retaining arm and the central planar member wherebythe packaged condom is then compressively held between the retaining armand the central planar member; and affixing the retaining clip to anarticle of clothing whereby the retaining clip compressively holds aportion of the article of clothing between the attaching arm and thecentral planar member.
 14. The method of using a retaining clip of claim13 wherein the inserting the packaged condom further comprises lifting atab disposed at an end of the retaining arm upward and away from theplanar central member, placing the condom into position for retaining,and releasing the tab.
 15. The method of using a retaining clip of claim13 wherein the affixing the retaining clip further comprises lifting atab disposed at an end of the attaching arm upward and away from theplanar central member, positioning the retaining clip into position forthe affixing to the article of clothing, and releasing the tab.
 16. Themethod of using a retaining clip of claim 14 wherein the retaining armholds the condom with spring compression.
 17. The method of using aretaining clip of claim 15 wherein the attaching arm holds the retainingclip to an article of clothing with spring compression.